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Topic: Losing weight after gaining it on an SSRI (Read 470 times)

I've talked to a number of people who have gained weight on one SSRI or another. As far as I can tell, there are a few explanations for why this might happen, but it does seem like these medications may change the metabolism.

Does it seem to change the metabolism permanently? If you gain weight on an SSRI and then stop taking it, will your metabolism return to normal?

I've talked to a number of people who have gained weight on one SSRI or another. As far as I can tell, there are a few explanations for why this might happen, but it does seem like these medications may change the metabolism.

They may change the way the gut handles food, there is far more serotonin made and used by the enteric nervous system than by the brain, some 95% of the body's total versus less than 2%, or it may be that people eat and enjoy food more when they're not anxious/stressed/depressed. And some loose weight when taking SSRIs. Serotonergic drugs have been prescribed in the past for weight lose. So this may not be as cut and dried as it's sometimes portrayed.

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Does it seem to change the metabolism permanently? If you gain weight on an SSRI and then stop taking it, will your metabolism return to normal?

Even if the metabolic hypothesis is correct, and I don't know that it is, I don't know of any mechanism that would sustain it without the meds.

NOTE: I'm not a doctor, and particularly not yours, so there may be factors I'm unaware of. Therefore all advice is of a general nature and you should consult your doctor before following any of it, especially before changing med doses.

hi, I gained. 30+ lbs after taking Zoloft & Remeron & klonopin for 2 yrs. I got fed up because I always stayed the same weight b4 & never had to diet. They seemed to affect my metabolism & I must admit, I was choosing the wrong foods & too much! I had never done that before! But I was on small doses of all & my pdoc thought Remeron was the culprit. So after tapering Zoloft ***** Remeron, I slowly lost weight ***** first & then it seemed to go quickly. I have remained on .5 mg klonopin& weigh what I wanted to get to & I don't diet,just eat good food & hike daily. But I looked puffy while on the z & r & it took awhile for me to look slim & trim again. It wasn't permanent.

OK, thank you; this is what I hoped to hear. Luckily, I have never had to think about my weight before. I accept that my metabolism will slow down a bit as I get older, but I wouldn't have started on an SSRI if I thought it would permanently slow my metabolism even after discontinuing the drug.

NOTE: I'm not a doctor, and particularly not yours, so there may be factors I'm unaware of. Therefore all advice is of a general nature and you should consult your doctor before following any of it, especially before changing med doses.